A Dance to Remember
by Sirius Blaak
Summary: Ginny starts to have feelings for Harry, but there's someone else on Harry's mind. HarryGinny and a bit of RonHermione. Told from Ginny and Harry's POV.
1. The Rumor

**A Dance to Remember**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Duh. If I did, I'd have a lot of money. Not like I do now. :)_

_This story is told from Ginny and Harry's points of view. It's a Ginny/Harry fic with some Ron/Hermione in it too. wink And yes, Luna's in here, causing Ginny trouble, but please don't hate her! Please review!_

Ginny Weasley sat in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, pretending to work on her O.W.L. Transfiguration essay. Her book was open to a page on switching spells, but the parchment on her knees did not sport her neat handwriting answering Professor McGonagall's prompt (What is the main function of a switching spell? Discuss the pros and cons.).

For the last half hour, Ginny had been writing, in beautiful calligraphy, the name 'Harry Potter,' outlined in a scarlet heart. Sighing, she wrote 'Ginny Potter' in minuscule writing at the bottom of the parchment.

'_If only_,' she thought. She crumpled up the parchment, crossed over to the fire, and dropped it into the low flames.

She thought she had been happy with Dean, but she had noticed him flirting with Lavender. When she broke up with him, she realized that her old crush on Harry was back.

"Ginny, come and join us!" She looked up to see Hermione beckoning from an overlarge armchair she was sharing with Ron. The two of them looked squished, but happy. Harry sat in an armchair across from them. He patted the arm of a chair next to him.

"No thanks," Ginny said dully, avoiding catching Harry's eye. "I have a Transfiguration essay due in two days, and I want to finish it early." She closed her Transfiguration book, gathered up her parchment and quill, and headed up for her dormitory.

Ginny was lad to see that it was empty. She abandoned all thought to finishing her essay, and began to draw instead. Dean had been giving her lessons, but those had ended along with their relationship.

She drew Harry, a romantic expression on his face, looking at a girl with red hair….

'_I've gotten good at this_,' Ginny thought, admiring her work. Considering that it had been done in a quill, it was pretty good.

She sighed again, and rummaged around in her trunk for her sketchbook. Flipping through it, she found that almost all of her pencil drawings showed her and Dean. She altered all of them so that Dean had turned into Harry by the time she tucked her quill drawing into the book.

Tossing her sketchbook and Transfiguration book into her trunk, Ginny decided to shower and turn in early. She left her hair wet, and climbed into bed, dripping all over her pillow. She reached out with a slender arm to twitch the hangings shut, and stared up at the dark red canopy.

Pretending to dip a finger into an ink bottle, she wrote HP + GW on her canopy. Sighing for the third time, Ginny rolled over onto her stomach, and, hugging her pillow, fell asleep.

_Ginny was in History of Magic class, zoning out as Professor Binns droned on and on about trolls. She looked around, to see Hermione sitting next to her. She gasped, as she looked toward the front of the room to see Harry and Ron sitting a few seats in front of her, Ron in her row, Harry one to the left. She looked to her right to see Dean, Lavender, and Parvati._

'I'm in Harry's year,' _Ginny thought. She placed her cheek in her hand, and leaned on it as she watched Harry and Ron whisper jokes to one another. Harry's quiet and stifled laugh sounded like the most wonderful sound in the world to Ginny. She wished he was laughing at a joke she had told him._

_Harry looked around the room, as if checking to make sure nobody had heard him laugh. His eyes landed on her. She couldn't look away quick enough. He saw her expression and the dreamy look in her eyes._

_To her surprise, Harry didn't look at her strangely or quickly look away. He returned the look of adoration, locking his green eyes on her brown ones._

_Then he was standing up, he had jumped over his desk to land in her desk's aisle. Everyone else seemed oblivious to Harry's sudden leap; in fact, everyone else seemed to have disappeared. She stood up, and walked towards him. They met in the middle of the aisle; he took her into his arms and kissed her._

_Harry was kissing her, and she felt as if every bit of sorrow, jealousy, and anger inside her washed away. This was better than when Michael or Dean had kissed her, for this was Harry Potter. She had liked him for four and a half years, and now he had chosen her, when he could have any girl he wanted. He had chosen her…._

Ginny woke suddenly. She heard her roommates jabbering away about some upcoming event.

'_Curses_,' Ginny thought, stretching her arms. '_Harry was kissing me, and they had to start talking and wake me up.'_

"I heard that Dumbledore turned the Halloween Feast into a costume party!" One of her roommates squealed. She heard footsteps, a door open and close, and the voices disappeared, most likely down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Ginny dressed into her robes quickly, pausing to wash her face and brush her teeth. As an afterthought, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, leaving a few loose strands framing her face. She remembered that Cho had worn her hair like that when she and Harry had gone on their first date.

Ginny met Hermione on the steps down to the common room.

"'Morning, Ginny," Hermione said. "Your hair looks nice."

"Thanks," Ginny replied. What was with you and Ron yesterday?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, blushing.

"You know," Ginny beckoned to the armchair as they entered the common room.

"Nothing," Hermione said, turning her face so Ginny wouldn't see her burning cheeks. "Well, anyway, did you hear the Halloween Feast rumor?" Hermione changed the subject as she pushed the Fat Lady's portrait open.

"About it being a costume party?" Ginny closed the portrait. "Some of my roommates woke me up from the best dream of my life, jabbering away about it. I mean, who wants to be woken up from a roman—" Ginny hastily cut herself off.

"What happened in your dream Ginny?" Hermione asked slyly. "Was it about a special someone? I heard the word 'romantic' no matter how you tried to cut yourself off."

"You tell me about you and Ron, and I'll tell you about my dream," Ginny bargained.

"Fair enough," Hermione's face now matched the red on her prefect's badge. "If you really must know, Harry kept dropping hints to Ron that I like him and vice versa. Don't worry, he was right." Hermione assured Ginny, her face now purple. "So, Ron asked me to go to the costume party with him, if it is a costume party."

"What about Harry?" Ginny asked.

"He'll find someone," Hermione waved this away. "So, what happened in your dream?"

"Later," Ginny murmured, for they had just entered the Great Hall. Ron had saved Hermione a seat next to him. Harry sat across from Ron, and although the seat next to him was empty, Ginny sat down between Hermione and Neville.

"Hello, Ginny," Neville looked up from his buttered toast as she sat down.

"Hi, Neville," Ginny said, helping herself to a slice of toast. She looked at Harry, who was cutting up his scrambled eggs while staring, as if hypnotized, over Hermione's shoulder.

Ginny followed Harry's gaze over to the Ravenclaw table. Rolling her eyes, Ginny saw that Cho and Luna were sitting next to each other, though Luna was reading _The Quibbler_, and Cho was chatting with Michael Corner.

'_Which one is he looking at?_' Ginny felt a twinge of envy. She looked over at Harry again, who was still cutting his scrambled eggs, apparently unaware that his eggs had turned into something that resembled mashed potatoes.

Ginny decided to take a stab at a conversation, hoping she wouldn't embarrass herself.

"Hi, Harry," She said the usual morning greeting. "What's up?"

Harry jerked out of his hypnotic state.

"Nothing," He answered. "Your hair looks nice."

"Thanks," Ginny felt her cheeks turn pink. "So, have you heard the Halloween Feast rumor?"

"Naturally," Harry smiled. "I got Ron to ask Hermione to the party, haven't you heard? I thought Hermione would run to tell you the instant Ron asked her."

"Yeah, I heard," Ginny glanced at Ron, whose face was the color of his hair. She heard him say, "Don't even try to convince me to go as Tarzan. All that ape wears is a pair of knickers. Harry told me." Ginny giggled, and Harry's grin widened.

"Are you going to the party with anyone, Harry?" Ginny asked. She knew that his answer would contain one of the names of a Ravenclaw girl….

"Well," He leaned his head in closer, "I was hoping to ask Luna."

'_Mystery solved_,' Ginny thought dully.

"Well, she doesn't seem to be busy. Go on, ask her!" Ginny punched Harry's arm, feeling stupid.

'_Why did I say that?_' She shook her head.

Harry grinned, but as he began to stand, Professor Dumbledore's voice boomed out across the hall, and Harry quickly sat back down.

"It has come to my attention that a rumor about the Halloween Feast has penetrated the school," He smiled, his blue eyes twinkling in a mysterious way nobody could remember seeing before. "I must, of course, stop this one before it gets out of hand. The Halloween Feast will not be a costume party."

There were loud protests at this. Ginny looked at Ron to see that his face had fallen.

"However," Dumbledore began again. Ginny noticed several of the disappointed students perk up a bit. "The Halloween Feast will be a Masked Costume Ball." The hall broke into applause. Even those who had been happy at the cancellation of the party were cheering.

"Now, this brings up the problem of costumes," Dumbledore shouted to be heard. "You all need not worry, for there is an excellent room," Ginny noticed Dumbledore wink at Harry, "that will provide everything you need. You will all write down what you need on a slip of parchment, and hand it into your head of house by next Friday.

"We feel that in light of the horrific event of Voldemort's return to power," Half the school flinched as one, "you need a night to enjoy yourselves to the fullest. Thank you for listening."

"The Room of Requirement," Harry murmered to Ginny.

"Yeah," She answered.

"Well, I'm gonna go talk to Luna," Harry winked (Ginny's pink face started to turn redder), and set off for the Ravenclaw table.

'_How does he do it_?' Ginny thought. '_The moment he complimented me, I blushed, but he can talk about Luna and not a single tinge of pink can be seen in his face._'

Ginny, trying to hide her red face, turned to look at the Ravenclaw table. She tried to conceal her envy as Luna's face went from dreamy to almost normal, at which point she hugged Harry's neck so hard his face turned purple.

Ginny's face purpled to match Harry's, so she turned back to the Gryffindor table and attacked her toast.

"Ginny," Hermione's voice broke in on her jealous thought.

"Yes?" She turned to Hermione politely, noticing that Ron's face was no longer red.

"What should Ron and I go as: Romeo and Juliet or Merlin and Nimue?"

"Who are Romeo and Juliet?" Ginny had never heard of Shakespeare's masterpiece, preferring to read wizards classics instead of muggle ones. As Hermione explained, Ron mouthed, 'Merlin and Nimue' behind Hermione's back.

"Well?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"Romeo and Juliet sounds wonderfully romantic, but I don't think many people will know who they are," Ginny replied truthfully, not because Ron had told her to.

"You're right," Hermione said. "I never thought of that. Thanks Ginny." She and Ron bent their heads together, no doubt drawing up the perfect costume.

Ginny rose from the Gryffindor table, and headed up to the Gryffindor common room. The very last thing she wanted to do on a Sunday was listen to Harry, Ron, and Hermione talk about the ball. She sank into an armchair by the fire, barely noticing that it was the same chair in which Harry had sat the previous night.

"Mandrake roots," She heard someone give the Fat Lady the password. Craning her neck around her chair, she saw Harry come in, looking crestfallen.

She thought of ignoring him, but his face looked too wretched to ignore. She immediately jumped up and walked over to him.

"Harry," She patted his back comfortingly. "What's wrong?"

"How is it possible to be snubbed by two girls in one day?" Harry shook his head slowly.

"Come," Ginny led him to an armchair, and pulled one close to his. "What happened?" She asked, after sitting down.

"I thought I had it bad when Cho decided she hated me," Harry sighed. "I asked Luna."

"She looked happy," Ginny mumbled, hiding her coolness as best she could.

"Happy?" Harry jumped out of his chair. "She was extatic! She was all over me, saying things like, 'You're one in a million, Harry!' and 'I never thought anyone would ask me to a dance!'

"So there she is hugging me half to death, when she suddenly released me from her death-hug and says, 'Sorry, Harry, but I don't go to dances.' So I asked her if she wanted to hang out instead. You know what she said? 'Sorry, Harry, but the crumple-horned snorkack comes out on Halloween, and I want to be the first to get it on camera.'"

"She put a made-up animal before you?" Ginny couldn't believe it. "I could never picture anyone doing that!"

"Then Cho looks away from Corner, and says to Luna, 'Don't worry, sweetheart, you're not missing much.' Then she smirked at me, remarkably like Malfoy."

Harry sighed, and walked up the girls' dorm staircase, only realizing his mistake when the stairs melted.

'_What's the betting he finds someone else to ask by the end of the day?_' Ginny thought bitterly. '_Luna Lovegood? LUNA? Was he nuts? He heard her on the Hogwarts Express last year, didn't he? She said that she didn't like dances!_

'_Why couldn't he have asked me? He knows I have nobody to go with! He knows how I feel._'

"No," A voice in her head said, "He knows how you felt. He thinks you're over him, and will never like him that way again."

Ignoring the voice, Ginny trudged up to her dormitory to do her Transfiguration essay.

_Congrats! You have finished reading chapter one. Um, now review!_


	2. The Date

_This one's from Harry's point of view. There's more Luna in this one, and Malfoy comes in as well. And I don't own Harry Potter. But you all knew that already. And thank you for all the wonderful reviews! This story will be updated every time I'm on the internet, because I have the whole thing typed! ;) Just a warning, I have a habit of making the guys in my storied really big idiots. If any of you have read my other story, The High School Titans, you already know that. :)_

Harry barely slept a wink that night. Luna's answer haunted his dreams, as he watched himself ask Luna over and over, each time getting an answer that was worse than the one before. He woke, sweating, and resolved to forget all about Luna.

'_She ruined it for herself_,' He tried to convince himself. Ignoring his queasy stomach, he dressed and headed for the common room.

He almost collided into Ginny as she emerged from the girls' staircase.

"Hi, Ginny," He forced himself to smile.

'_Forget about Luna_,' He told himself automatically.

"Hey, Harry," He noticed her cheeks turn pink. "How's it going?" Harry raised and lowered a shoulder.

'_No, Harry_,' He scolded. '_Wrong answer. Say that you're fine. Say that you've never been better. Say that you're glad that Loony Loathegood said no. Say_-'

"See you later Harry," Ginny bustled out, hiding her face from view. Harry sank into an armchair, not feeling much like going down to the Great Hall. No matter how much he abused Luna in his thoughts, he still liked her.

He stayed in the armchair, not moving until Ron came down from the dormitory, yawning and stretching.

"'Lo, Harry," He plopped into a chair next to Harry.

"Hey," Harry mumbled.

"You still upset about Luna?" Ron punched his arm lightly. "Get over it. She was bound to say no. Remember last year on the train? She said that she didn't like dances."

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better," Harry put his head in his hands.

"Well, she never said she didn't like you," Ron pointed out, recalling what Harry had told him about Luna's denial. "Ask her to go to Hogsmeade with you. It's before Halloween. Maybe she'll change her mind."

"You're right," Harry's head snapped up. "Thanks, mate. I'm gonna go ask her." He practically ran out of the common room, pausing only to open and close the portrait hole.

"Now that's the enthusiastic Harry we all know and love," He heard Ron's voice echo after him.

He slowed down as he approached the Hall, and walked slowly down the aisle between the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables. He spotted Luna, who was sitting next to- he groaned –Cho.

'_Are they secret friends or something?_' He rolled his eyes.

"Um, Luna," He sat down across from her.

"Yes, Harry?" She looked up from her toast, looking almost normal.

"Well, since you don't go to dances, I was wondering if you might want to come to Hogsmeade with me," He crossed his fingers under the table.

"Oh, jeez, Harry, I don't know," Luna bit her lip. "I was going to look for the Crumple-Horned Snokack while everyone was gone."

"Is that all you do?" Harry asked a bit annoyed.

"No," Luna said, a bit defensively. "Daddy's counting on me to find it, since, apart from him, I know the most about it. But, I'm sure he won't mind if I don't and go to Hogsmeade instead."

Harry smiled, and Luna returned the grin.

"You're really nice, Harry," Luna was not in her dream state as she said this. "I really like you." Harry smiled wider, noticing that Luna was blushing.

"Well, why don't I meet you at the main entrance hall when it's time to leave," Harry suggested.

"All right," Luna turned the color of Ron's hair. Harry waved, and turned back towards the Gryffindor table.

"What are you all smiley about?" Ron prodded him. "You look un-naturally happy." Harry gave Ron the 'look' and Ron nodded, mouthing 'oh.' He turned back towards Hermione.

Harry finished breakfast and walked towards Professor McGonagall's room in a trance-like state, only coming out of it when she sent a jet of red sparks out of her wand to call the class to order.

Harry went through the rest of the day dreaming about the weekend. Ron and Hermione drew up the perfect costume, so things were working out very well. A downside to his life was that Ginny was becoming more distant, and this worried Harry, as she was a great friend.

Harry finally decided to go to the ball by himself. He would be going as King Arthur (It had been Hermione's idea). He decided that he could enjoy himself with Neville, who was going alone as well.

The week passed very quickly and uneventfully, and Harry soon found himself waking up on the Saturday of the Hogsmeade trip.

He soon found himself waiting in the entrance hall for Luna. Ron and Hermione decided to go together, a bit as a result of Harry telling them he would be going with Luna.

"See you, Harry!" Ron waved, grinning a nervous smile as Hermione held his hand.

"Have fun with Luna!" Hermione waved as well. Harry smiled after his two best friends as they walked down the drive hand in hand.

'_And I set them up,_' Harry chuckled, watching as more people set off for Hogsmeade. He wasn't able to spot Ginny, however.

After everyone had left, Harry checked his watch and looked around. There was no sign of Luna. He sat down near the door, routinely checking his watch.

He stood up after a half hour. Harry was thoroughly discouraged.

'_Maybe she's in the hospital wing,_' Harry thought. He made his way towards the hospital. His trip was short and uneventful, except for Peeves throwing a water balloon at him and, thankfully, missing.

"Hello, Madam Pomphrey," Harry greeted the kind but strict nurse.

"Oh, hello Potter," She looked surprised. "Did you have another Quidditch accident?"

"No, I was just wondering if Lun- um, if anyone was in here."

"Well, a poor first year got into a spot of trouble in potions, the poor dear's lying over there with boils all over him. And there are two seventh years over there who got into a duel."

"Oh, thanks, Madam Pomphrey."

"Why?"

"No reason," Harry retreated out, after smiling at the first year, who had looked at him fearfully. If Luna wasn't in the Hospital Wing, unable to tell him that she wouldn't make it, then there was no other explanation that he could think of for her not showing up. Unless she had slept in and was standing in the entrance hall now, scared that he had left.

Harry broke into a run, this time receiving a water balloon in the face from Peeves. He reached the hall to find it empty. He stood there, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes, feeling extremely stupid.

"Harry?"

He turned, his heart hammering, to see Luna. She looked very pretty, very _normal_, in her school robes and cloak, no turnip earrings or bottle-cap necklaces. As she came closer, Harry noticed that the only piece of jewelry she wore was a Celtic pendant.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry!" Luna clasped his hand. "I thought I saw a crumple-horned snorkack out my window this morning, so I went to look. By the time I got there, it was gone. I rushed getting dressed and washed, but by the time I was ready, everyone had already left, and I thought that you had left too. I came down to make sure."

"Well, I'm glad you made sure," Harry smiled.

"What happened to your head?" Luna frowned at his wet hair.

"Peeves," Harry said simply. "Shall we?" He and Luna walked down the drive. Halfway there, Harry took her hand, making her blush. "So, what exactly is a crumple-horned snorkack?"

Luna's description took so long that they had reached Hogsmeade by the time she had finished. Harry was surprised she knew so much, for she had said that there wee no pictures of one (and, as everyone else thought, it didn't exist).

"Where do you want to go?" Harry asked as Luna completed her description with a smile.

"How about the Three Broomsticks?" Luna suggested.

"Great," Harry smiled back. "A butterbeer sounds rather appealing to me, how about you?"

"Butterbeer?" Luna looked surprised, and a tad bit scared. "But, that's supposed to have Boggart Juice in it!"

"Boggart Juice?" Harry stifled a laugh. He had never heard of Boggart Juice before, and was certain that it wasn't in butterbeer.

"Yes!" Luna's eyes widened. "That's why it makes house elves drunk!"

"Well, it can't hurt people very much, can it? I mean, I've been drinking the stuff for three years and nothing's ever happened to me." Harry opened the door of the Three Broomsticks and squeezed inside, keeping a tight hold on Luna's hand so as not to lose her in the crowd.

He ordered himself a butterbeer, then spent ten minutes talking Luna into trying one. He promised to subscribe to the Quibbler for the rest of his life if she broke out in Boggart Hives, whatever they were.

They sat down at a small table for two. Harry watched in amusement as Luna squeezed her eyes shut and pinched her nose as she took a sip of butterbeer.

"Hey, not bad," Luna smiled, and un-pinched her nose. "For the first time of my life, I must disagree with Daddy. Butterbeer definitely doesn't have Boggart Juice in it." Harry smiled, and glanced over Luna's shoulder for a brief second.

"Luna, look," He pointed behind her. "It's Ron and Hermione." He made to catch their attention, but Luna stopped him.

"They seem to be having an important discussion," She said pointedly. As Harry actually focused on them, he noticed that they were staring into each other's eyes, holding hands under the table, and each had a slight pink tinge to their face.

"I'm glad you're observant," Harry commented. Luna looked unsure what to say, so she sipped her butterbeer.

"I notice more than people think," She set her glass down. "People think I go into my own world sometimes, but I really watch people. I must admit, if Hogwarts gossip came from me, it would all be true." Harry smiled, masking his confusion. How could Luna know so much about other people, but still believe every word of the Quibbler?

"Well, well, well," Harry and Luna both looked up to see Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson smirking at them.

"Draco. Pansy," Luna said coolly.

"Tell, me Potter," Malfoy said in his usual drawl. "What made you want to come to Hogsmeade with Loony Lovegood? Was it the fact that her father is the editor of the most crackpot magazine in all of England? Or maybe it was the fact that your friends have forgotten you." He chuckled, glancing over at Ron and Hermione. "I wonder what you get when you cross a mudblood and a weasel. Oh, right. I forgot. A mudpuppy."

Harry stood up quickly, and, without thinking, grabbed Malfoy's wrist and twisted it. He heard a satisfying crack.

"Ah!" Malfoy pulled away. His wrist looked broken. Pansy patted his shoulder, and led him out of the shop.

Ron and Hermione came over to Harry and Luna's table.

"Harry, what happened?" Ron and Hermione pulled chairs over to their table.

"Malfoy insulted you," Harry cracked his knuckled. "Both of you. And Luna's father."

"Well, it couldn't have been much worse than 'Weasel,'" Ron tried to shrug this away. "You were bound to crack sometime, having to endure him since first year."

"He called Luna's father a crackpot," Harry ground his teeth, "then asked what you get if you and Hermione have kids. He said you get a, a…a mudpuppy."

"What?" Ron and Hermione both stood up, exchanging looks of embarrassment and anger.

"He deserved whatever you gave him," Hermione nodded, slowly sinking back into her chair.

"As soon as I get him alone with no teacher, I'm gonna hex him so bad that he won't be able to ooze away to tattle on me to his father," Ron scrunched up his face into a mutinous expression. He sat down quickly, after noticing that quite a few people were looking at him.

The four of them spent the rest of the Hogsmeade visit sipping butterbeer and coming up with hexes they could use on Malfoy, each more ludicrous than the last.

_Thanks for reading!_


	3. The Secret Costume

_Ginny's point of view again! All the costumes are in the dormitories, and Ginny has to hide hers before anyone sees it! There's a twist on an old character, and Luna is acting very...normal. I'm deciding to be very nice and adding a lot of the chapters at once. Please review!_

_And you already know that I don't own Harry Potter. :)_

On the Friday that the costume slips were due, Ginny strongly considered dropping hers into the fire.

_'It's a stupid idea,' _she thought. _'It'll never work.'_ She started shredding the edges of the parchment, but stopped, realizing that this could be her one chance to tell Harry how she felt before he found a way to ask Luna on a date.

"Professor McGonagall," Ginny approached her after class, strongly tempted to run out the door. "I have my costume slip." She extended her partially shredded piece of parchment to McGonagall.

"Thank you, Miss Weasley," Professor McGonagall took it from her and opened a drawer. Ginny noticed that it was full of parchment slips.

"The costume ball seems popular," Ginny commented.

"Yes," Professor McGonagall set Ginny's costume request on her desk and rifled through the untidy pile. "All the heads of houses have about this amount of costumes to get. I've never even heard of some of these. What on earth is 'Godzilla'?" McGonagall shook her head at a piece of parchment she had taken out of the drawer.

"No idea," said Ginny. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder, and noticed, with a thrill of panic, that McGonagall had put back the Godzilla slip and was now reading hers.

"You are going as Guinevere?" Professor McGonagall asked. "I remember someone turning in a slip for King Arthur, but I can't remember who it was, and I'd have a job finding it in here." She gestured to the drawer as she dropped Ginny's slip on the top of the pile.

"I want to keep it a secret," Ginny blushed.

"I'd better not spill the big secret then," McGonagall joked. "You'd better hurry off to lunch now."

"Right," Ginny began to walk towards the door. "'Bye, Professor."

"See you later, Ginny," Professor McGonagall answered.

As Ginny closed the door behind her, she marveled at how easy it was to talk to Professor McGonagall. Her primness during class led students to be a little wary of her, but after class she was like a family friend.

_'And she called me "Ginny." Not "Miss Weasley."'_ Ginny raised and lowered her eyebrows upon entering the Great Hall.

"Ginny, over here!" Hermione beckoned. Ron and Harry were, for once, talking on their own.

"Hey, Hermione," Ginny slid into the seat next to her.

"So, what was your dream about?" Hermione smiled slyly.

"Well, it was about Harry," Ginny kept her voice low, and leaned closer to Hermione.

"I knew it!" Hermione exclaimed quietly. Ginny felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

"Well we were both in Binns's class…" Ginny told Hermione everything, turning scarlet when she got to the part about Harry kissing her.

"I knew it!" Hermione repeated. "It must have killed you when he went to Hogsmeade with Luna."

"He went to Hogsmeade with _LUNA_?" Ginny tried to contain herself. If Harry had already gone on a date, then Luna might have considered not going to the Halloween Ball…

"You didn't know?" Hermione grimaced. "Well, yeah, he did. Ron told me that after she turned him down for the ball he was all upset, so he told Harry to ask Luna to go to Hogsmeade with him. She was quite normal, actually. We saw them the Three Broomsticks." Hermione shrugged.

Ginny tried to make this piece of information mean nothing to her, but she must not have done a good jog, for Hermione patted her shoulder in reassurance.

"Well, he isn't going to the Costume Ball with anyone," Hermione sounded as if she had just remembered this scrap of information. "I could tell him to ask you. It's not too late for you to coordinate costumes."

"Nah," Ginny shrugged. "I already have a plan to catch his attention. Thanks for making him go as King Arthur."

"Are you going as Guinevere?" Hermione asked.

"Yep," Ginny nodded. "Thanks to the fact that it's a masked ball, he won't recognize me."

"Why don't you want him to recognize you?"

"I think that's obvious," Ginny shot a sarcastic look at Hermione.

"And you're sure you wouldn't rather me tell him to ask you?"

"No. I want to surprise him, so don't say anything."

"Alright," Hermione smiled, then, feeling Ron's hand on her arm, winked at Ginny and turned to join Harry and Ron's conversation. Ginny picked up her bag, and began walking out of the hall.

"Ginny?" She turned to see Zacharias Smith grinning goofily at her. She remembered him from the year before; he had been a very unpopular member of the DA.

"Yes?" She asked politely. She looked over Zacharias's shoulder, feeling as if someone was watching her, and saw Ron looking in her direction. He gave her a warning look as if to say, _'Don't even talk to him Ginny.'_

"Can I carry your bag?" His grin widened. Ginny was about to hand it to him, for he was very nice, but saw Ron stand up, so she hastily withdrew it.

"I can manage," She smiled, and walked out of the hall. She didn't care what Ron thought, but she wasn't about to have a duel start in the Great Hall just because someone wanted to carry her bag. She was halfway towards the History of Magic classroom when she realized, from a load roar, that she hadn't eaten any lunch. Shrugging this realization away, she kept walking.

She was startled to see Luna standing at the doorway, humming to herself.

"Hi, Luna," Ginny said automatically.

"Hey, Ginny," Luna smiled, twisting a silver chain with a Celtic symbol on it around her fingers. "What's up?" Ginny was shocked. Surely that was a too casual greeting for Luna!

"Um, not much," Ginny cast around for something to say. "Uh, I heard you went to Hogsmeade with Harry."

_'Why did I bring Harry into the conversation?' _Ginny thought as she blushed.

"Yea," Luna launched into the subject like a typical teenager. "He was really sweet. He talked me into trying a butterbeer, and I actually liked it! Then he stood up for me against Malfoy."

"I can see him doing that," Ginny forced a smile. "Um, that's a really nice necklace." She cast around for another subject, this time picking a topic completely unrelated to Harry.

"Thanks," Luna looked at it for a moment. "It was my mom's. She was fascinated with English history. This particular symbol might have been a token of power, something that Merlin might give King Arthur or something like that."

"Are you going to the dance?" Ginny asked automatically, for the name 'King Arthur' had triggered this question.

"No," Luna sighed. "I have to look for the crumple-horned snorkack. Are you going?"

"Yes."

"What are you going as?"

"It's a surprise."

The classroom door opened, and Ginny and Luna entered. Professor Binns was floating behind his desk.

"My first early students for – what is it now? – a hundred years…" Binns used a monotone similar to his lecturing when he spoke.

Ginny took a seat near the back, and Luna took the one next to her. Luna began doodling on a piece of parchment as the rest of the class filed in. Ginny noticed that Luna's drawing was very good, and she was about to ask where she had learned to draw so well when she realized that Luna was drawing a picture of Harry and herself outside the Three Broomsticks, outlined in a frame of butterbeer bottles.

Ignoring her jealousy, Ginny sank into a dream state, reliving the best dream of her life over and over and over…

That night at dinner, Professor Dumbledore told all the students that their costumes would be in their dormitories. Ginny caught Hermione mutter something like, "Bet there were a lot of house elves helping. Hmph!" Ginny giggled, the turned her attention to eating as fast as she could, barely pausing for breath.

_'I've got to get up to my dormitory so I can hide my costume!'_ Ginny thought as she wiped pudding off the corner of his mouth.

With a quick, "See you later, Hermione!" Ginny bolted out of the Hall, and began to sprint up to the Gryffindor common room, barely remembering to jump the trick step. She gasped, "Mandrake roots," to the Fat Lady and ran up the stairs to her dormitory.

A beautiful blue dress lay on her bed. A silver amulet pinned a purple cape to the dress's shoulder, and a similar amulet served as a necklace on a silver chain. Slightly feminine lace-up boots were on the floor. A blue mask outlined in black sequins was on her pillow.

Ginny emptied her trunk and lay her costume carefully inside. She covered it up with her cloak, and replaced the rest of her belongings. Then she retreated back to the common room, and, as an afterthought, tip-toed up to the boys' dormitories. She located the sixth years' room, and opened the door halfway. Nobody was there.

Ginny stepped inside the dormitory, and located Harry's costume. His tunic was purple, as were his leggings. A blue cape was pinned to the shoulder of his tunic by the same amulet on Ginny's costume. He had similar boots, thought slightly more masculine, and a black mask with blue sequins.

_'Perfect,'_ Ginny thought with a thrill of excitement. She walked back down to the common room, not even a full minute before Ron, Harry, and Hermione burst in.

"Hey Ginny," All three said in unison.

"Do you want to come and see my costume with me?" Hermione asked. Ginny was grateful that Hermione hadn't mentioned her secret costume.

"OK," Ginny followed Hermione up the stairs to the girls' dormitories as Harry and Ron mounted the steps to the boys'.

The two girls gaped at Hermione's costume when they reached her dormitory. Her robe was a deep red with gold symbols all over it. A gold belt sported the most beautiful sword and scabbard either of the two had ever seen. Her shoes were gold, and looked more like slippers than shoes. Her mask was made the same as Ginny's, red with gold sequins.

"Excalibur," Hermione touched the sword gently, as if afraid she was dreaming.

"It's beautiful," Ginny hardly breathed. Then, struck by a sudden thought, she said, "Try it on."

"What?" Hermione had just picked up the mask carefully.

"Try it on," Ginny repeated. Hermione giggled, then took the robe into the bathroom to change.

"The Room of Requirement outdid itself," Hermione said as she emerged from the bathroom. "Look at the lining." She showed Ginny the inside of her sleeves. The lining was red silk, dotted here and there with gold stars.

"You look so pretty!" Ginny held the slipper-shoes out to Hermione. "Go show Ron; he'll wet himself with amazement!" The two girls laughed and went down to the common room to find Merlin and King Arthur smiling sheepishly at them.

Ron wore deep blue robes with stars on them. He had a tall wizard hat on his head, and held fake hair and beard.

Harry stunned Ginny in his costume. It had looked handsome when it had lain on Harry's bed, but when Harry wore it, it looked ten times more handsome.

"Wow, Hermione," Harry nodded, smiling. Ron just gaped at her.

"You look beautiful," He managed to choke out. "Ginny, aren't you going?" He noticed Ginny was the only one out of the four of them whom was not wearing a costume.

"I want my costume to be a surprise," Ginny said, still looking at Harry.

The four of them heard the pounding of feet, and hurried upstairs to their dormitories to change back into their school robes.

Ginny woke early the next morning. It was Halloween, and she could hardly wait for the ball. It would start at noon.

Ginny went down to breakfast early, and was surprised to see the entire staff tucking into a wonderful breakfast of French toast and pancakes. Noticing that she was the first student, she sat down uncomfortably, and began to help herself to the pancakes that appeared in front of her.

She was just washing down three pancakes with a glass of orange juice when Hermione entered. She sat down across from Ginny.

"Can I se your costume?" She asked, stacking pancakes into a napkin.

"OK," Ginny said as Hermione stood up. She led the way to the Fat Lady's portrait.

"What does it look like?" Hermione asked.

"The colors are the same as Harry's, but they're opposite, you know: his tunic is purple, my dress is blue. We also have the same amulets." Ginny gave the Fat Lady the password, and she and Hermione tip-toes into Ginny's dormitory, so as not to wake Ginny's roommates.

Ginny extracted her costume from her trunk while Hermione started to eat one of her pancakes. She laid the entire costume out on her bed, except the boots, which she placed on the floor.

"It's beautiful," Hermione wiped her fingers on her robe and touched the purple cape. "It _is_ the exact opposite of Harry's. He will definitely notice you."

Ginny smiled, satisfied, and began to put her costume back in her trunk. Her roommates had hung theirs up by magic. The three of them were going as a butterfly, a snitch, and a unicorn.

"Halloween _was_ always a time to show your inner child," Hermione nodded at Ginny's roommates' costumes.


	4. The Halloween Ball

_The ball is told from Harry's point of view. He makes a MAJOR mistake, which I'm sure most of you will pick up immediately. Please don't hate me for my evil deed! I have revenge on Harry for being an idiot, I promise! And I don't own Harry Potter._

"Ron!" Harry shouted, prodding the sleeping form of his best friend.

"Wha?" Ron sat upright, looking at Harry in annoyance. "What's wrong?" He closed his eyes and reached blindly for his covers, and made to go back to sleep.

"We slept in!" Harry shook Ron.

"We always do on weekends, mate," Ron yawned, turning over. "That's what they're for."

"RON!" Harry pulled the blankets off him with such force that they fell on the floor. Ron sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"WHAT, HARRY?" Ron shouted.

"We slept in!" Harry repeated. "The ball starts at noon," Harry showed Ron his alarm clock, which read 11:23, "and you have to meet Hermione downstairs in twenty-two minutes!"

"Gah!" Ron jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom, leaving Harry frozen over his bed, still pointing to his alarm clock.

Ron came out of the bathroom five seconds later, brushing his teeth with one hand and pulling a comb through his hair with the other. Harry copied him, taking less time with his hair, as it was pointless.

They changed from their pajamas into their costumes quickly. Ron was self-conscious, as he was not used to wearing fake hair and a beard. He had no need for a mask, for the fake beard and wig covered his face very well.

Harry had just adjusted his mask when his alarm clock read 11:40. With five minutes to spare, the two of them ran down to the common room.

The two friends had to stifle laughs as they looked around at the various costumes. Two seventh years were dressed as Tarzan and Jane (Ron ducked out of their line of sight and guffawed until Harry poked him sharply in the ribs) and a few first years were dressed as various superheroes (Harry did his best to describe who they were to Ron).

They spotted Hermione near the girls' staircase. They waved as they fought their way through the growing crowd towards her.

"You look really nice, Hermione," Ron took her hand, not blushing like he had been during his visit to Hogsmeade with Hermione.

"Thanks Ron," Hermione removed her mask and pushed aside Ron's fake beard so she could kiss him on the cheek. "You two look nice."

"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked, noticing her absence.

"I don't know," Hermione turned her head around enthusiastically, but she did not seem to be looking.

"Shall we go down?" Ron pointed to where the Fat Lady's portrait was. People were slowly trickling out.

"All right," Hermione said. The trio started to join the queue around the portrait hole. They recognized a few people on their way over. Harry waved to Neville, who was wearing a crown on his head and carrying Trevor.

"Nice costume," Harry said. He noticed that Neville was wearing elaborate burgundy robes.

"Thanks," Neville squeezed next to Harry. "My gran made it for me. She said she wanted to make it rather than me getting it from the Room of Requirement." He shrugged. "Your costume's great."

"Thanks," Harry replied. He spotted Seamus over Neville's shoulder. He was standing close to Parvati; they were wearing Asian costumes. Seamus looked embarrassed, for his pale complexion and sandy colored hair did not suit the robes he wore. Parvati, on the other hand, looked as happy as ever. Noticing that he had fallen behind Ron and Hermione, Harry sped up, accidentally knocking into someone and making whoever it was fall.

"I'm so sorry," Harry forgot all about catching up to Hermione and Ron and bent down to help the person up.

"It's all right," The person straightened up. Harry gasped. He was staring at a girl who was dressed almost exactly like him.

_'Well, a female version of my costume,'_ Harry corrected himself. The girl had long, wavy red-brown hair that cascaded halfway down her back. She wore a blue dress and a purple cape, the exact opposite of Harry's purple tunic and blue cape. Her mask was blue outlined in black sequins, again, the exact opposite of his. She wore the same silver amulet that fastened the cape to the shoulder, and she also sported the same amulet as a necklace.

"Wow," He chocked out, for he was still in shock.

"You're King Arthur," The girl smiled, "and I'm Guinevere."

"Do I know you?" Harry knew he had seen this girl somewhere before; if she removed her mask, he would be able to tell who she was.

"You might," The girl said mysteriously.

"Do you know me?" He asked.

"I might," The girl echoed her previous answer. She lifted the hem of her skirt a few inches off the ground so she wouldn't trip, and walked out of the common room, which was now almost empty.

Harry walked after her, trying to place where he had seen her before. Her voice sounded familiar, but in another sense he had never heard it before.

Then it clicked. He had seen the Celtic amulet before. His costume's amulet had just copied it. That girl was Luna! She had colored her hair and snuck into the Gryffindor common room to confuse him.

He ran after her, hardly believing it had taken him so long to figure out. He entered the Great Hall, looking around for her, but Luna seemed to have disappeared.

"Harry!" Ron and Hermione were dancing to the music Harry had been completely oblivious to until that moment. Luna was standing next to them, grinning.

"Harry, mate, look at her costume!" Ron seemed not to know who Luna was, and was just genuinely surprised. Harry approached them, and held his hand out to Luna. She took it and began to dance with him.

For the first few minutes, Harry looked around the Hall in amazement. The pumpkins Hagrid grew lined the walls in intervals of about ten feet. One wall was completely devoted to a table filled with all sorts of food. Chairs filled the spaces along the walls where there were gaps between the pumpkins. The only source of light was the pumpkins; the Great Hall ceiling seemed to have been covered for a darker and more dramatic dance. Even the windows were blocked.

Harry turned his attention to Luna.

"I didn't know you were coming to the ball as Guinevere," He was amazed at how she had known he would be going as King Arthur. Perhaps Ginny had told her; they were in some of the same classes.

"Well, I figured I'd have to confess sooner or later," Luna laughed, but then became serious almost immediately. "To tell you the truth, Harry, I've liked you for a very long time. Longer than you know. I decided to come as Guinevere to catch your attention."

"Well, you certainly did catch my attention," Harry winked, which made the part of Luna's face he could see, though cast in shadow, turn pink. "In fact, you've caught my attention for the entire dance." Luna smiled shyly. They danced for a few more minutes, then Harry, noticing his empty stomach, asked, "Do you want to get a drink or something?"

"Sure," Luna began to walk over to the table. Harry gave Ron, who was dancing with Hermione, the thumbs up. Ron looked very pleased that Hermione was dancing with her head on his shoulder, and grinned back.

Luna handed Harry a butterbeer, then took one for herself. They sat down in two chairs along one wall. Harry remembered the priceless moment when he had talked Luna into trying a butterbeer.

The two of them watched their fellow students dance. Harry looked around for Ginny, and although many people had removed their masks, he could not find her. He noticed that Luna had not removed her mask (and neither had he, he suddenly realized as he reached up to scratch his eyebrow, to scratch a lightweight metal instead of his face). He glanced up at the front of the hall, to see several of the teachers dancing.

Harry recognized Professor Dumbledore right away, who was dressed as Father Christmas. He was dancing with Professor McGonagall, who was wearing what seemed to be regular robes with tabby cat markings on them. Snape was dressed in his usual black robes, and he was standing alone in a corner, his tapping foot barely visible. A muggle-clothed Professor Flitwick was levitating himself so he could dance with a mandrake Harry recognized as Professor Sprout. Harry pointed them out to Luna, who laughed openly.

Harry then noticed more people he knew. Dean and Lavender were dressed as Romeo and Juliet. He supposed they knew about the famous romance story because they were both muggle born. Malfoy was being tailed by Pansy Parkinson. Malfoy was dressed as a vampire, and Pansy was wearing black robes with spider webs all over them. Harry hoped on wouldn't see them. He watched them for a few seconds as they began to dance.

Cho and Michael Corner were dressed as fairies. Harry laughed as he looked past them and recognized Colin and Dennis Creevy. Dennis was dressed as Godzilla, and Colin was wearing a Superman suit.

Harry turned his gaze back to Ron and Hermione. They were dancing very close together, and Harry could see a pinkish tinge in Hermione's face, though whether it was from being close to Ron or from the enclosed space, Harry didn't know.

Harry finished his butterbeer, and, after noticing that Luna had as well, took her bottle from her and vanished both of the bottles with a flick of his wand.

"Would you like to dance?" Harry asked Luna.

"Of course," Luna pulled him into a space next to Ron and Hermione.

The two of them started dancing at a modest distance apart, but by the time another song had started, Harry could feel Luna's breath on his neck. He grinned.

_'I know I'm thinking like a girl, but this is truly the most romantic moment of my life,' _Harry thought. He glanced over at Ron and Hermione again. Ron, who was facing him, smiled nervously. Harry's already large grin widened, as he remembered how he had kept nagging Ron to tell Hermione how he felt, and vice versa. He traveled back to that day no more than two weeks ago…

_"Ron, mate, I just heard that Dumbledore is turning the Halloween Feast into a costume party!" Harry had burst into the dormitory after finishing his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. "You can ask Hermione to go with you! I know you like her, don't deny it."_

_"No way, mate," Ron had sunk onto his bed. "I could never do that."_

_"Why not?" Harry asked. "Hermione's down in the common room now, finishing her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. Just go down and ask her! I'll go with you."_

_"Easy for you to say," Ron said jealously. "You asked Parvati to the Yule Ball and asked Cho to go to Hogsmeade with you last year. I've never asked a girl so much as, 'Want to sit next to me in class?' before."_

_"There's always a first time for everything," Harry reassured him. "If you knew what my stomach felt like both those times…" He trailed off, then picked up again. "Besides, I think, no, I _know_ Hermione's been waiting for you to tell her how you feel for a while now. She just can't tell you how she feels herself."_

_"Really?" Ron asked, perking up a bit. "Well, I could give it a go…"_

Harry returned to the present, smiling even more broadly (if that was possible) at the memory. He recited this story to Luna, who smiled sweetly up at him as he told her.

"Harry, that's so sweet," Luna glanced over at Ron and Hermione. "They look so happy."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "They do."

The two of them watched as Hermione stood on tiptoe and kissed Ron underneath his fake beard. She set her heels back on the floor quickly, and smiled up at Ron. Ron grinned at her, his face wearing a shocked but pleased expression.

_'About time,'_ Harry thought, laughing to himself.

"I don't know how this could have happened without the ball," Harry muttered to himself, but Luna heard him.

"I won't be surprised if they both come right over to you and thank you," Luna told him, and, sure enough, Hermione and Ron danced closer to Harry and Luna.

"Harry, thank you for telling me to ask Hermione to the ball," Ron clapped Harry on the back.

"Yes, thank you, Harry," Hermione smiled at him.

"I didn't want you guys to wait until your deathbeds to tell each other how you felt," Harry joked. "So I gave Ron a push in the right direction."

"Thanks again," Ron and Hermione said together, and began to dance again, staring at each other.

"They're never going to forget what you did for them," Luna told Harry.

"Yeah," Harry said modestly. "I'm glad." Then he changed the subject abruptly. "And I'm glad that you decided to come as Guinevere. I honestly think that if you hadn't, I'd be sitting by myself."

"Thanks you for the most romantic day of my life," Harry and Luna told each other in unison. The both laughed, Harry a little embarrassed about his girlish thought.

When their laughter had faded away, Harry tilted his head down a little bit and kissed Luna. When he straightened his head again, he left Luna standing as if hypnotized.

"You made my dream come true," She said dreamily. "I had a dream – this will sound stupid – where you and I really liked each other, and we kissed." Luna smiled up at Harry nervously.

"It didn't sound stupid at all," Harry assured her. "I'm so glad you decided to come, Luna."

Luna stared up at him, her mouth open in chock. Harry noticed a tear run down the part of her cheek that was not covered by her mask.

"Is something wrong?" Harry stared at her, his eyes full of confusion.

She began to back away from him, her hand covering her mouth. Luna's breath came in short, hiccoughing gasps. She tore her eyes away from Harry and put her face in her hands, crying.

"Luna, what's wrong?" Harry put an arm around her shoulders, but she immediately pulled away and ran out of the hall, still sobbing.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, for she had plainly seen and heard the whole thing, "that wasn't Luna."


	5. A Riddle and Realization

_Ginny's point of view. This is what happens after the ball. Hermione has gained an interesting talent for riddle-making... And I don't own Harry Potter. (I feel like a broken record!)_

Ginny ran out of the hall, barely able to see where she was going because of her tears. She stumbled up staircases, and her foot sunk into the trick step. Crying now out of pain and misery, she sat on the stair above, waiting for someone to find her.

Her plan had failed. Instead of being puzzled as to who she had been, Harry had assumed that she was Luna.

_'It was this stupid necklace,'_ Ginny pulled at the necklace she was wearing, cracking the chain. She threw it down the stairs.

She head footsteps approaching the staircase. She saw Harry hurrying towards her.

"Let me help you," He said kindly, helping her out of the step. As soon as she was free, she ran off towards the common room.

"Wait!" Harry called after her. She heard his footsteps behind her. She sped up, hitching up her skirt so she could run faster. Harry was a faster runner, and if she hadn't taken him by surprise and had a considerable head start, he would have caught up.

"Mandrake roots!" She shouted at the Fat Lady, then slammed the portrait in Harry's face. She heard him enter after her just as she opened the door of her dormitory.

_'Thank goodness boys aren't allowed up here,' _She heard Harry's footsteps on the staircase, and quickly entered her dormitory and shut the door, so she wouldn't slide back down when the steps melted into a slide. She head Harry groan and hit the floor.

Ginny sank to the floor, her back against the door. She heads two voices say, 'Mandrake Roots,' and heard footsteps.

"Harry, mate, what happened?" Ginny heard her brother ask.

"Who was that?" Harry asked.

"Dunno," Ron answered.

"I do," Hermione's voice was now heard. Ginny crossed her fingers, hoping that Hermione wouldn't tell Ron and Harry that it was her, "but I promised not to tell. I'm going to go talk to her." Hermione came up the stairs, and knocked softly on the door.

"Open up," Hermione ordered. Ginny did as she was told, for Hermione could force her way in if she really wanted to.

"What?" Ginny asked as she opened the door. She threw her mask onto her bed.

"Ginny, you have to tell Harry," Hermione said as the door closed.

"Why?"

"I think he should know," Hermione shrugged. "He didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I know he was a thick-headed git down there, but it was an honest mistake."

"I know," Ginny sniffed.

"If you don't tell him, I will," Hermione said threateningly.

"But I don't know if I want him to know," Ginny blew her nose.

"Then why did you even do this?" Hermione asked.

"Because I wanted to get him away from Luna. All I did tonight was make him like her even more. I was going to tell him after the ball was over, once he had hopefully realized that Luna wasn't for him."

"So you just wanted to get him away from Luna, not get him to like you?"

"No! Well, maybe yes. I don't know. I really like him. Michael and Dean were just boys that put my feelings for Harry on hold. I want him to know how I feel, but I don't at the same time." Ginny rubbed her head, as if her own answer confused her.

"Tell you what," Hermione tapped her chin, apparently thinking. "I won't tell Harry it's you. I'll give him a riddle or something. If he doesn't get it soon, you have to tell him." Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"Fine," Ginny said reluctantly.

"I'm going to tell him now," Hermione gave Ginny a Professor McGonagall stare.

Ginny reached for her mask as Hermione left her dormitory. She followed her out of the dormitory, but stopped on the landing outside. Hermione continued all the way down. Ginny put her mask on.

"Harry, I'm going to give you a riddle," Hermione said in the manner of a teacher instructing a student. "This is all I'll tell you, so don't ask for anything else. Here you go:

"I'm giving you Tom Riddle,

Thanks to Lockhart,

On a Saint Day,

In First Year,

Burning to save."

"What on earth?" Harry asked, obviously bewildered.

_'You have to hand it to Hermione,' _Ginny thought. _'That was an amazing riddle.'_

"Ron, let's let Harry figure this one out _on his own_." Ginny guessed that Ron had opened his mouth to offer Harry a suggestion. Ginny heard footsteps, and guessed that Ron and Hermione had left.

"Please come down!" Harry pleaded. "I'm really sorry! Your necklace just looked so much like Luna's that I assumed…." He trailed off.

"You probably hate me for this," Harry said. "Please forgive me."

"I don't hate you," Ginny said.

"Thanks," Harry said. "I have to admit, I'm flattered that you had a dream about me."

"Now I feel really stupid to have told you," Ginny confessed, "because you will never be able to like me the way I like you."

"I could learn," Harry was speaking very softly. Ginny could hear him perfectly, but then the steps melted, and she slid down, as she was still standing on the landing.

Ginny collided into Harry, who was getting up, as she hit the bottom of the stairs. He was knocked backwards, and she gave him a small smile. He had removed his mask, and it was lying on a table.

"Hi," She said as they straightened up.

_'Thank goodness I put my mask on,' _Ginny thought.

"Hey," Harry said softly.

"Do you have any clue as to who I am?" Ginny asked.

"No," Harry admitted. "Tom Riddle, Lockhart, Saint Day, First Year, Burn to save." He recited the clues Hermione had given him.

"Does Tom Riddle mean she was giving me a riddle?" Harry asked her.

"Not really," Ginny said slowly. She knew that if Harry put Lockhart and Saint Day together, he would figure it out.

"Ok," Harry began pacing. "Um, Lockhart, Saint Day, First Year, and Burn to save. Lockhart wasn't here our first year."

"He was for mine," Ginny blurted out, then clapped a hand over her mouth. Harry would get it now.

"Wait," Harry's eyes widened. "Lockhart threw a Valentine celebration, and I got a valentine from Ginny. Then I had to burn a hole into Riddle's diary to save her. Now it all makes sense! You're Ginny!"

Ginny removed her mask, and let it clatter to the floor.

"Surprise," She said dully.

"This is your costume?" Harry sunk into an armchair. "What on earth made you decide to do this? I thought-"

"I know what you're gonna say, Harry," Ginny held up her hand. "I guess, now that you know it's me, I should tell you the story."

She recited everything to him: her drawings, her plan, her costume, blushing furiously.

Harry sat transfixed as she finished. He seemed almost scared to talk.

"You must think I'm really stupid to tell you all this," Ginny managed a small smile.

"You're not stupid," Harry stood up, walked over to her, and took her hands. "I admire your courage in telling me who you are, and how you feel. I don't think I could have done the same."

"Thanks," Ginny smiled.

"Why don't we forget about what happened down there," Harry jerked his head towards the portrait hole, "and go back down and have a good time with Ron and Hermione." Harry bit his lip.

"Sounds good to me," Ginny sighed. She wanted nothing more than to forget and start over.

"Here," Harry bent down to pick up her mask and offered it to her.

"I don't need it anymore," Ginny took it from Harry and out it on the table next to Harry's. The firelight danced on the sequins.

"And I have this, which you dropped," Harry held out her necklace, putting a sarcastic emphasis on 'dropped.'

Ginny took it from Harry, repaired it with her wand, and clasped it around her neck.

"The costume looks ten times prettier on you than it does on a mysterious masked figure," Harry joked.

They smiled at each other, and Harry opened the portrait hole for her.

"Thanks," She said automatically. They began their way down to the Great Hall, walking a good twelve inches apart. Although they had agreed to forget about what had happened earlier, Ginny couldn't stop dwelling on Harry's kiss.

It had felt so right. The whole ball, up until Harry had called her Luna, had felt right. It was as if her life was a giant jigsaw puzzle, and the ball fit as a piece. Harry fit as a piece.

She glanced at Harry. He was blushing, looking at his feet, and she noticed that he moved closer to her with every step. He reached out to put his arm around her…

"Harry!"

"Luna?" Harry pulled his arm back and stepped away from Ginny abruptly.

Luna was running in from the entrance hall, waving her camera in the air.

"I got a picture!" Luna danced in front of Harry excitedly.

"That's great!" Harry hugged her, now completely ignoring Ginny. "Want to come to the ball now?"

"Sure!" Luna smiled, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Ginny noticed Luna's pendant gleaming, half-tucked into her cloak.

Harry put his arm around Luna, not Ginny, and began to walk towards the Great Hall.

For the second time that day, Ginny felt her heard being wrenched in two pieces. For the second time that day, Luna had ruined what should have been the best moment of her life.


	6. Luna's Bad News

_Luna has bad news for Harry, AKA good news for Ginny! And why is Harry jealous of Ginny's !boyfriend? There's a game of Quidditch in this chapter, and one of the players won't be returning to the team after this match! This is the last of the chapters submitted at once. Sorry, but I need to keep some suspense! Remember to review! And that I don't own Harry Potter! (This was written PRE HBP, so there are some discrepancies.)_

Harry woke on November First, knowing that his life couldn't be going any better. He and Luna were going to eat breakfast together, and then he would play a game of Quidditch against the Ravenclaw team. He dressed quickly, and headed out the portrait hole earlier than he usually would have.

"Hi, Luna," He said, a bit surprised. Luna was standing outside the portrait hole, looking preoccupied. "What's wrong?"

"Is it that obvious I have bad news?" Luna raised her eyes to the ceiling, smiled exasperatingly, then brought her eyes back on Harry, her smile gone.

"So, what's up?" Harry asked, a bit concerned.

"Someone found a crumple-horned snorkack," Luna said dully.

"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Harry tried to reason why Luna was so upset. "There's finally going to be proof!"

"It was found in America," Luna was crying silently, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Another magazine is covering it, then," Harry could see why Luna would be upset. This would have been the first time her father would have had proof to one of his stories, a chance to boost _'The Quibbler'_ in ratings, and now this chance had been snatched away. He put an arm around her shoulders.

"No," Luna took out a large handkerchief and blew her nose.

"Then what's wrong?" Harry put his arm around her.

"Daddy will be covering it, but," Luna chocked, "he says he wants to start a new magazine in America and cover it in there. I'm moving to America, Harry. In a month." She pulled away from Harry's half-embrace, and ran down the corridor.

"Moving?" Harry asked the blank portrait of the Fat Lady. "To America?"

"Hi Harry," Someone said. Harry spun around.

"Yeah?"

Ginny stood behind him, one hand on her hip.

"What's up with Luna?" Harry noticed that Ginny was completely relaxed talking to him, and did not seem to boil when she mentioned Luna.

"She's moving to America," He said coolly. "You're talking to me a notice."

"Yeah, so?"

"So I figured you must hate me."

"I'll survive," Ginny smiled sarcastically. At that moment, a blonde boy wearing Hufflepuff robes came over to the two of them.

"Hey, Gin," He said. Ginny smiled at him.

Harry recognized this boy as Zacharias Smith, a former DA member. He smirked at Harry, his pig-like nose even more noticeable.

"Zach," Harry hated the accent Ginny put on his name, "and I got together yesterday."

"Does Ron know?" Harry said automatically. He could only imagine Ron's response to his sister going out with his least favorite DA member.

"Does that matter?" Ginny gave him a scathing look. "I don't need Ron's approval. Come on, Zach." Ginny turned, her hair swishing into Harry's face. Zach put his arm around Ginny, and they headed in the direction of the Great Hall.

Harry soon found himself staring at Zacharias's arm around Ginny, the familiar feeling of jealousy, which he had felt all the while Cedric and Cho had been together, creeping up on him. He watched them until they were out of sight.

He shook himself.

_'Why am I jealous of Zacharias?' _Harry frowned. He began the walk down to the Great Hall. He had half a mind to skip breakfast, but then he remembered that he had Quidditch.

-------------

Twenty minutes later, he was scanning the sky for the snitch. Cho Chang was doing the same thing, throwing him dirty looks every few minutes as well.

Kirke and Sloper played just as bad as they had the previous year, and seemed to have acquired a skill for hitting the players instead of the Bludgers. Ron, thankfully, had kept the skill he had found he had in the last game last year. Ginny had tried out for chaser, as well as Seamus. Katie had one year left at Hogwarts, so she had returned to the team as star chaser and captain.

Much to the Gryffindor team's displeasure, a smug Slytherin boy was given Lee Jordan's job as commentator. He spent more time criticizing every team but Slytherin, rather than commentating.

"And there go the Gryffindor chasers tearing off for the Ravenclaw goal. If Ravenclaw had any talent, they'd stop them," Harry chanced a glance at the boy. Professor McGonagall was looking daggers at the boy, but as he was not in her house, she couldn't do anything about him. Professor Snape did not really seem to care what the boy said.

Harry shut out the commentator's voice and returned to searching for the snitch. He circled both team's goal hoops twice, zigzagged across the field, and went into a series of dives, still not finding the snitch.

"Kirke!" Harry heard Katie yell. "Stop hitting us! Aim for the Bludgers!" Katie zoomed past Harry who saw that she was leaning to the left on her broom, no doubt the result of Kirke hitting her.

Then he saw it. The snitch was fluttering about twenty feet from the ground. He dived. He heard Cho behind him, but knew she would never catch up.

"Ginny!" He heard Ron yell. Harry tore his eyes away from the snitch to see Ginny pelting for the ground. She had fallen off her broom, and Ron and Sloper were both tearing after her, screaming at their brooms to go faster.

Harry bit his lip. He was closer to Ginny than they were. But the snitch was only ten feet in front of him.

He looked at the snitch, then Ginny. She was fifty feet from the ground. Forty. Thirty…

Harry pulled out of his dive, sped over to Ginny and caught her. He slid towards the front of his broom, but used his feet to steady himself. He helped Ginny into a sitting position, then, holding her steady, tore toward the ground after Cho, just in time to see her pull out of her dive, the snitch clutched in her hand.

The Ravenclaw supporters erupted into cheers of surprise and glee. The screams were deafening as the Ravenclaw team circled around the field, tangled in a many-armed hug.

Harry touched down, and helped Ginny off his broom. She was dazed, and barely able to stand.

"Ginny," He shook her gently, trying to get her to stand. Her eyes opened, and she smiled faintly.

"Thanks, Harry," She whispered, before collapsing into his arms in a faint.

"Ginny!" Ron yelled behind him.

"She's OK," He said as Ron appeared beside him, looking shocked.

"It was Sloper," Ron said. "He was gonna hit the Bludger, that would have been a first, but hit Ginny instead. Git."

"Get her to the Hospital Wing," Katie said as she and the rest of the team landed on the ground.

Harry and Ron both put one of Ginny's arms around their shoulders, and half-carried, half-dragged her up to the castle.

Halfway there, they were intercepted by Hermione, Zacharias, and Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall.

"Is she all right?" The four of them asked in unison.

"Just fainted," Harry answered, for Ron looked too shaken to speak.

"Here," Dumbledore conjured up a stretcher, and had Harry and Ron place Ginny on it. Dumbledore levitated it up to the castle as the party of five followed him (Ron was still so shaken that he didn't say anything to Zacharias).

"There was an accident on the Quidditch field, Poppy," Professor Dumbledore said as they entered the hospital wing. Madame Pomphrey clucked her tongue as Ginny was laid onto a cot. She pulled a jar of green liquid out of her apron pocket and began to spoon some into Ginny's mouth. Ginny coughed and sat up.

"Thank goodness," Ron threw his arms around her, relieved.

"Ron, get off," Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. It was just an accident."

"But if Harry hadn't caught you," Ron released her, "you could have died!"

"But he did," Ginny punched Ron in the arm. "So stop worrying." She grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him closer to her. "Thanks, Harry." She pulled him into a hug. Harry knew he had to be blushing, for his face was hot.

"You're welcome," He said as he straightened up. She smiled at him the way she had done the day of the ball, then caught sight of Zacharias. Her smile faded quickly. Zacharias hugged her also. Ron had overcome his shock enough to glare at Zacharias, but had the good grace to stay silent.

-------------

"Hi, Ginny," Harry walked into the hospital wing the next day, feeling self-conscious and awkward. He was clutching a small bouquet of lilies in one hand, and had three books tucked under his other arm.

"Oh!" Ginny, who had been drawing on a piece of parchment, looked up. "Hi, Harry." She placed the drawing on the table next to her bed. As she stretched to do so, she winced. Her side obviously still hurt from where Zacharias had hit her.

"These are for you," Harry thrust the flowers out to her. She accepted them graciously.

"Thanks, Harry," She brought them to her nose before placing them on her lap. "Lilies are my favorite flowers."

"Well, you can guess why I picked them," He said quietly. Ginny smiled softly. "Oh, yeah. Here are your homework books." Harry rolled his eyes. "Hermione made me bring them to you." He placed them on the table next to her bed, and caught sight of the drawing that was on the table. It showed a boy and girl linked together by a chain of hearts that twined around their waists. It was colored with different ink colors, and as Harry noticed this, he saw the pile of quills beside it, each a different color. Before he could examine the drawing further, Ginny snatched it and placed it next to the lilies on her bed, blank side up.

"Good drawing," Harry said, for he couldn't pretend he hadn't seen it.

"Thanks," Ginny said slowly.

"Uh, Sloper got kicked off the team," Harry said wildly.

"But it was an accident!"

"We know, but Kirke told us that he had seen a second year sneaking around the brooms when he was putting yours and his away. He hid and watched her. It turns out that she's a superb Beater. She wasn't able to try out last year because of the first year rule."

"Right," Ginny nodded slowly.

"So," Harry cast around for something to say. His eyes fell on the drawing. "Who are the people in your drawing? You and Zacharias?"

"No," Ginny said. Her eyes widened, and said quickly, "It's for a – friend. Zach hasn't been up to see me at all. Ron came up to sneak me some food that was actually appealing to the taste, and Hermione came up before breakfast to tell me she would get my homework up to me somehow later in the day. Even -" Ginny gulped. "- Luna came to see me." She looked at Harry nervously, as if afraid of his reaction to the mention of Luna.

"I would think that Zacharias would want to see you," Harry said, ignoring the mention of Luna.

"I really appreciate you coming up here," Ginny patted the bed beside her, motioning for Harry to sit down. He obliged.

"I just wanted to make sure you're all right," Harry said. They smiled at each other for a moment.

Harry was not aware that he had inched closer to Ginny, all he knew was that they suddenly had their arms around each other.

"Thank you for saving me," Ginny whispered in his ear. She kissed his cheek, and the two released each other. They stared at each other for about a minute.

Then seized by a sudden impulse, Harry leaned in close to Ginny and kissed her. In those few, precious seconds, he forgot all about Luna, he forgot the fact that she was moving; he even forgot his feelings for her. He only felt a sense of love for Ginny envelope him.

"Mr. Potter," Harry and Ginny drew apart, blushing furiously. Madame Pomphrey had returned to check on Ginny, and she was frowning. "Miss Weasley is not unconscious. Unless I am very much mistaken, she does not need mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."

Harry looked at the frowning nurse for a few seconds, then at Ginny, who feigned fainting. When she sat up again, the two of them burst out laughing.


	7. Harry's Suffering

_Here it is! The suffering of Harry! There is a Bat-Bogey Hex, compliments of Ginny. And what will happen when Ron finally finds out that it was Ginnyin the Guinevere coustume:) Thank you for all the reviews! It makes me happy when I sign on and I have mail. :):):) People on mugglenet have all liked this chapter, because it's Harry finally getting what he deserves, so I hope you all like it!_

After Harry had left, and Madame Pomphrey, tutting loudly, had checked Ginny's injury, she turned the drawing back over. She took the black quill from the table and drew a thin, lightning-bolt scar on the forehead of the boy. She smiled at her picture, then titled it 'Harry and Ginny.'

"Ahem," Ginny looked up to see Sloper, his hands behind his back. He was rocking nervously from foot to foot.

"Hi," She said, turning the picture over again.

"I just wanted to apologize for the – um – injury I gave you," Sloper looked at his feet. "I deserved getting kicked off the team. Will you forgive me?"

"Of course I will," Ginny assured him. "It was an accident, after all."

-------------

Ginny walked into the Great Hall on her first day out of the Hospital Wing, inhaling the scent of sausages and toast. She smiled, and took a seat at the Gryffindor table across from Hermione.

"Hey, Hermione," Ginny said.

"Hi Ginny," Hermione looked up from the enormous book she had been reading. "I'm so glad you're better. It was really strange not having a girl to talk to."

"Ginny," Ginny turned, and saw Katie sitting to her right.

"Hi Katie," Ginny felt nervous. It had been her falling that had lost them the match. Katie must have seen an anxious look on Ginny's face, for she smiled, and let out a soft chuckle.

"Don't worry about the match," She said. "I would rather have Harry go for you rather than the Snitch any day."

"Thanks," Ginny smiled.

"I'm so glad your side has healed. Ron and Harry will probably have told you this, but we replaced Sloper. We don't want any more accidents." Katie felt a hand on her shoulder, noticed it was one of her friends, and waved to Ginny as she turned around to talk to her friends.

"Katie's easily the most personable captain we've had," Ginny told Hermione as she turned back to Hermione. "Where's Harry?"

"Oh," Hermione's eyes widened, and she scratched her nose, apparently thinking. "I don't think he and Ron are up yet."

"All right," Ginny said slowly. She piled her plate with sausages, and began to cut them up and eat. She was on her second sausage, and her fork was halfway to her mouth, when she happened to look over Hermione's shoulder and over at the Ravenclaw table. She dropped her fork, her mouth open.

"Ginny?" Hermione noticed Ginny's strange expression, and followed her gaze. "Oh. Well, I guess Harry's awake." Hermione said lamely.

Ginny had thought that after Harry had kissed her in the Hospital Wing, he would break it off with Luna. The last thing she expected was sitting right in front of her. Harry and Luna had their backs to the Gryffindor table, and were laughing, most likely at a joke one of them had told, and they were _holding hands._

"Well," Ginny said angrily. "Well! If he thinks he can turn right around and go hold hands with someone else and I'll still be here, waiting for him, then he can think again! Ooh, I hate that Loony Lovegood!"

"Ginny, don't blame Luna for Harry's stupidity," Hermione said. "It's not her fault he's acting like he is. She doesn't know Harry kissed you in the Hospital Wing."

"Harry told you about that, huh?"

"Yeah. And he asked me what to do."

"And you said…"

"I told him to stop being an idiot over Luna and to break it off. He should apologize to you for what happened at the ball, and then grovel at your feet for a few days." Hermione smiled wickedly.

"You think I can hit him from here?" Ginny asked, her face breaking into a similar evil grin.

"Hit him?" Hermione was puzzled. "With what?"

"Bat-Bogey Hex." Ginny said simply.

"You wouldn't!"

"Watch me." Ginny pulled out her wand, aimed it directly at Harry, and shot her best Bat-Bogey Hex at him.

"Ah!" Ginny heard the satisfying yell, and saw Harry turning his head in confusion. Huge purple flapping things were stuck to his face.

The entire Slytherin table caught sight of this, and they all burst out laughing.

"You do know Harry'll assume Malfoy did this?" Hermione asked quietly.

"That'll make it even better," Ginny nodded. "For once, Malfoy will have a reason to deny doing anything to him!"

"Ginny, can you help him?" Hermione and Ginny looked up to see Ron standing beside Hermione. He had obviously just come down, for he looked clueless.

"Huh?" Ginny asked.

"Take the hex off him," Ron said, as if that were obvious. "You're an expert on Bat-Bogey Hexes. Malfoy is gonna pay for that one!"

"Why should I take it off him?" Ginny asked, without thinking.

"What do you mean?" Ron looked at her, puzzled.

"Does he know?" Ginny asked Hermione.

"No," Hermione whispered.

"Know what?" Ron asked, looking from one girl to the other. "What's going on?"

"Fine, I'll take the hex off him," Ginny pointed her wand at Harry again, and lifted the hex.

"All right," Ron turned from watching Harry back to the girls. "What's going on?" He sat down next to Hermione.

"Do you know who Guinevere was?" Ginny asked, grimacing as she did so.

"The girl who Harry found at the ball? Not a clue."

"Well, you're looking at her."

"You?" Ron gaped at Ginny.

"Yep," Ginny said, shrugging. "OK, so when I was in the Hospital Wing, Harry decided to come up and kiss me."

"Good," Ron pulled the nearest plate of sausages towards him, and began eating.

"Ha, ha, very funny Ron," Ginny said, laughing sourly. "Why don't you look at what he's doing now?" Ron followed Ginny's instructions, and turned, just in time to see Luna kiss Harry on the cheek.

"Get off him," Ginny muttered.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Ron yelled. "GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE! NOW!"

Harry looked over at Ron, surprised. He shrugged, said 'see you later' to Luna, and came over to the Gryffindor table, smiling broadly.

"Yeah?" He said lightly, then, noticing Ginny's, Hermione's, and Ron's frowns, asked, "What's up with you guys?"

"Two words," Ron said, giving his best friend the nastiest look he could. "Hospital Wing."

Harry's eyes widened, and he bit his lip.

"Yeah," Ron nodded, the nasty look still on his face.

"I can explain," Harry said.

"You don't need to explain to me," Ron said impatiently. "Explain to Ginny. You can either break it off with Luna or apologize to Ginny. Until you do, I'm not talking to you." Ron gave Harry a superior look.

_'I knew I could count on Ron,' _Ginny thought. _'If it was Dean or someone, Ron would have hexed them so their eyes sprouted feelers!'_

Ron took Hermione's hand and pulled her out of the hall. Harry looked at Ginny awkwardly.

"Uh," He began, "sorry."

"Nice try," Ginny said coolly. She wasn't about to let Harry get to her again. It was his turn to feel a little rejection.

"It's only Luna," Harry shrugged. Ginny punched his right arm. Hard.

"Ow!" Harry rubbed the spot. "What was that for?"

"Think really hard," Ginny said sarcastically.

-------------

That afternoon at Quidditch practice, Ron was true to his word. He didn't speak to Harry the entire time. In fact, no one on the team was talking to him.

_'I wonder if Ron told them not to talk to him,' _Ginny thought, laughing.

"Hey, Ginny!" Ron beckoned to her as the team began the trek up to the school.

"Yeah?" She asked as she walked up to him.

"I got the whole team to give Harry the silent treatment," Ron smiled.

"I noticed."

"Has he apologized yet?"

"Nope."

"Well, has he broken it off with Luna?"

"Nope."

"Well, then," Ron took a deep breath. "I'll just have to give him a few good kicks where he deserves it…" He trailed off, looking at a spot a bit above Ginny's left shoulder. He frowned at it.

"Wha?" Ginny turned, to see Harry standing right behind her. She frowned at him.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked, shooting nervous glances at Ron.

Ginny shrugged, then motioned for Ron to keep walking up to school without her. She looked at Harry expectantly.

"Look, I just want you to know that I don't mean to hurt you, but I can't break it off with Luna."

Ginny said nothing, she just gave Harry another punch. She frowned, and caught up with Ron.

"What did he say?"

"Just that he can't break it off with Luna. So I punched him."

"Nice one."

-------------

"Ginny, will you please listen to me?" Harry implored at breakfast the next morning.

"You know, Harry, if you think you can spend all your time with Luna and then once she's gone come to me, you can think again," Ginny said, not looking up from her toast. "I'm not going to sit around and wait for you. As far as I'm concerned, if you'd rather spend your time with Luna than me, you can just apologize now and leave me alone."

"No, Ginny, I need to talk to you about Ron and Hermione," Harry said apprehensively. Ginny raised her eyebrows, but gestured to him to continue.

"Why did you get them to ignore me?"

"I didn't. It was Ron's idea."

"But I'm his best friend!"

"Yes, but I'm his sister." Ginny picked up a stack of toast, and stood up.

"Ginny, I just can't tell Luna I don't have the same feelings for her as I did before! She's leaving in three weeks! The least I can do is make the rest of her time here happy."

Ginny punched him again.

"And why are you punching me?"

"As I said before, 'Think really hard.'" Ginny walked out of the Great Hall, and walked right into Luna.

"Oh, hi Luna," Ginny said, managing to keep hold on all her toast.

"Hi Ginny," Luna smiled. "I'm glad we bumped into each other. I have a question for you about Harry."

"Yes?"

"Well, he's just been so sweet lately, since it's my last month here. I really appreciate it, and I want to give him something in return. What would you suggest?"

"Um," Ginny had half a mind to tell Luna to give Harry something that would make his head swell up to the size of Hagrid's pumpkins, but restrained herself and said, "Just tell him how much he means to you. I don't think any present can outweigh that."

Ginny felt sick as she said these words. Who knew what would come out of Luna's mouth when she told him?

"Oh," Luna looked over her shoulder, then leaned in close to Ginny. "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because," Luna began to whisper. "I don't think I like him as much as I used to."


	8. The Breakup

_And now, the chapter you've all been waiting for! The breakup! dun dun dun dun! Thank you for all the amazing reviews! There is only one mroe chapter after this one, and it has already been finished, so, I'm sorry to say, no requests will be fulfilled unless they are for what has already happened. :) And, of course, I do NOT own Harry Potter.)_

Harry groaned as Ginny left the table.

_'How can I break it off with Luna when she's only got three weeks left here?' _He thought. Harry rolled his eyes, then got up and left the Great Hall.

He walked about three paces away from the Hall when he heard Luna and Ginny talking. He heard his name, and panicked. Harry didn't want to run into them and bring about a really awkward situation. He ducked behind a tapestry, silently thanking his good fortune. The tapestry hung all the way to the floor, which meant his feet would not be seen.

"Ginny, I don't know what to do," He heard Luna say. "I've never gotten this close to someone before." Harry raised his eyebrows. What was Luna talking about?

"All you have to do is say, 'Listen, Harry, I really like you, but I think we should just be friends.'" Harry heard Ginny answer Luna. Comprehension dawned on Harry. Luna was in the same position he was.

"I know, but I'm just really nervous."

"Luna, it's okay. I've broken it off with three different guys before. One was only yesterday! All you have to do is tell the truth, and if Harry has a problem with that, then you're being too nice." Luna gave a shaky laugh as Ginny said this.

"All right," Luna took a deep breath and released it. "I can do this. I hope."

"Don't do it if you don't want to," Harry heard a note of apprehension as Ginny began speaking again. "You'll only be here for three more weeks, so if you don't want to tell Harry…." Ginny trailed off.

"I can do this," Luna said, more determined this time. "You were right before, Harry should know the truth. I-" Luna was cut off by the bell.

"We'd better get to class," Luna said instead of finishing her sentence. Harry chanced a glance out from behind the tapestry, and saw Luna heading off up the marble staircase and the rest of the school pouring out of the Great Hall. Ginny stood where she had been before. He quickly ducked back behind the tapestry.

"You can come out now, Harry," Ginny said, sounding annoyed. Harry came out from behind the tapestry, smiling sheepishly.

"Well?" Ginny tapped her foot, her hands on her hips. "Is there anything you have to say to me?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "I've got to talk to Luna after class." Seeing Ginny's expression, he quickly added, "Then you." She smiled.

"Well, better get to class," Ginny began to climb the marble staircase, and Harry walked out to the greenhouses.

-------------

"Luna said that?" Ron was now talking to Harry again, after he had told Ron everything that had happened while he had been hiding behind the tapestry.

"Yep," Harry smiled, glad that Ron was talking to him again. Hermione made tutting noises at both of them, for they were supposed to be re-potting Venomous Tentaculas. Harry and Ron's plants were still in their original pots, and Professor Sprout kept shooting the two of them warning glances.

"You'd better break it off with her," Ron warned him. "I'm talking to you because I have confidence that you will, you know."

"Don't worry, Ron," Harry shook his head, and began to shovel dragon manure into a bigger pot for his Tentacula, "I'm talking to Luna at lunch and then Ginny at dinner." Harry was amazed at how he had his day planned out. He had never planned to break up with one girl then get together with another in one day.

"Ron, you'd better start re-potting," Harry warned him as Professor Sprout started their way. Harry pretended to check the amount of manure in his pot while Ron quickly plopped a huge pile of manure into his pot. They both had begun to pull their plants out of the first pot and put them in the second when Professor Sprout came level with them.

"Boys, the rest of the class is almost finished," Harry and Ron looked around at everyone else. It was true; they were the only ones who still had their plants in the first pot.

"Sorry," Ron said lamely.

Professor Sprout shook her head and walked over to Hannah Abbot and began helping her straighten her plant.

-------------

As the bell that ended the double Herbology period rung, Harry cast Ron a nervous look.

"Mate, you're not backing out now," Ron scolded.

"I know!" Harry insisted as they began the trek back up to the castle for lunch. "I'm just nervous."

"Harry, you have nothing to worry about," Ron said. "You know how Luna feels. She doesn't know how you feel, so she's probably hyperventilating with nerves!"

"Yes, Harry, you do have the upper hand," Hermione said from beside Ron.

"Yeah," Harry said confidently. "I do. I have nothing to worry about." He smiled gratefully at Ron and Hermione.

"Come on, Ron," Hermione pulled him by the hand. "Let's go up to the castle before Harry so he can find Luna without you." She winked at Harry.

"Wha?" Ron cast Harry a confused look. As Hermione pulled Ron into a faster walk, he heard her say, "Honestly, Ron."

Harry snorted. He walked up to the castle, feeling nervous, yet pleased that he would be able to tell Luna how he felt without hurting her feelings.

"Harry!" He heard Luna's voice, and turned to face her. She walked up to him, looking happy but nervous.

"Hey," He said, surprised that she had been waiting for him.

"I've got to tell you something," The two of them said at the same time. They laughed, although Luna's laughter was a bit strained.

"Let's go over here," Harry motioned towards a corner of the Entrance Hall. Luna followed him over, now looking more nervous than happy.

"Uh," Luna began. "I – uh, I've, um…" She smiled exasperatingly.

"Do you want me to go first?" Harry asked kindly.

"No, no, I can do this," Luna looked as though she was preparing to play in her first Quidditch match. "Harry, I just want you to know that I like you, and that you've been really sweet to me this past week. I just think that it would be better if we were just friends." She smiled nervously.

"Me too," Harry said.

"Really?"

"Really."

"So, I'm guessing that that's what you had to tell me."

"Yeah."

"Harry, between you and me, I've seen the way Ginny was looking at you these past few days," Luna said slyly.

"Oh," Harry said, suddenly uncomfortable. "Well, she was mad at me for, uh, for…"

"No, I mean the other way she looked at you," Luna said, smiling.

"Oh," Harry said, surprised.

"Promise me one thing."

"Sure."

"Get together with Ginny Weasley." Luna smiled weakly as she said this.

"Um, okay," Harry said slowly. Luna thrust out her hand, and Harry shook it. Then she walked into the Great Hall for lunch, leaving a very confused Harry behind her.

-------------

"Did you do it?" Ron asked as Harry slid into his seat in the Great Hall.

"No, Luna did," Harry said. "We both said we had to talk at the same time, and she went first."

"Well, it's over, that's what counts," Ron said, punching Harry's arm lightly.

"Ouch!" Harry said, rubbing the spot.

"Whoops," Ron said quickly. "Sorry mate."

"It's all right," Harry said, massaging his arm. Ron had hit the spot where Ginny had been punching him for the last few days.

"Well, when are you going to do it?"

"Dinner." Harry loaded his plate with mashed potatoes and beef.

"You know, you could do it sooner. To let her know you aren't backing out."

"OK, where is she?" Harry looked up from his plate.

"I dunno." Ron looked around the Hall. "Weird. She said she would meet me and Hermione during lunch."

"Hermione, do you know where she is?" Harry asked, noticing that Hermione was determinedly not looking at either one of them.

"Oh, yeah, she told me she had to tidy up a charms essay," Hermione said promptly, smiling at the two of them.

"Whatever," Harry said slowly. He shrugged and turned back to his lunch.

Harry heard an owl screech above him and looked up. Ron and Hermione did as well, and Ron yelled out, "Pig!"

The tiny owl landed in Harry's mashed potatoes. Ron picked him out, wearing a disgusted look. He removed the potato-covered letter, and wiped the envelope with his napkin.

"It's for you," He handed it to Harry quickly, and began to wipe off his hands.

"Oh," Harry said, somewhere between surprise and disgust. He opened the envelope and pulled the piece of parchment out with the hand that was not greasy from the potatoes.

"It's a drawing," He said.


	9. The End

_Ginny and Harry meet in the Room of Requirement and have a little heart-to-heart. My personal favorite chapter. FYI, Luna is one of my favorite characters, right after Sirius and Dobby. That should explain the end. LAST CHAPTER! Sorry it ends here, but I thought this end was right for the story. The last part was a kinda spur of the moment thing that I came up with two seconds before I typed this chapter, and I really liked it. If you are a Luna hater, don't read the last part. :) And, of course, I don't own Harry Potter._

Ginny let out a deep sigh. She had done it. She had sent the drawing to Harry, the one she had been working on in the Hospital Wing. He knew how Luna felt, and he was breaking up with her, perhaps as she stood here by the window. He ought to have the drawing.

She tore her eyes away from the window and descended the steps down to the common room. Smiling, she pushed the portrait open and began walking.

_'"Ginny," Harry said, his voice light and romantic._

_"Yes Harry?" Ginny asked, smiling at him as he walked closer._

_"I just wanted to tell you," Harry reached out to hug her…'_

WHAM!

"Ouch!" Ginny yelped, massaging her arm. She had trailed off into her own fantasy, and had walked straight into a wall. She let out a deep breath, looked around, and smoothed her clothes. Regaining herself, she looked around at her surroundings.

"One floor down," She said aloud, and began to descend the nearest staircase.

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Ginny walked back and forth in front of the Room of Requirement.

_'Please give me a room so plain that it looks like a prison. I want it to look awful, with only a candle for light.'_

A dull gray door appeared, and she seized the dull silver handle. Inside, the room was painted the same shade of gray as the door, and a small candle lit the center of the room. Ginny walked in, shut the door behind her, and was plunged into semi-darkness.

"Lumos," She said automatically. Her wand tip flared, and she quickly pulled it out of her pocket before her clothes caught fire. Her wand did little to improve the gloom, but this was exactly what she had wanted. She whispered "Knox," and her wand tip went out immediately.

"Why do I want a prison?" Ginny asked herself. "It's not going to do anything." She sat down on the cold floor next to the candle, and waited.

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"Ginny?"

"I'm here Harry," Ginny answered.

"What's with the darkness? Lumos!" Harry's wand tip ignited, and Ginny could see his faint outline by the door of the Room of Requirement.

"You got the message, then," Ginny said.

"Yeah." Ginny was referring to the letters 'ROR' she had printed at the bottom of the drawing.

They sat in silence for a minute or two, when Ginny suddenly asked, "Do you like it?"

"The drawing?" Ginny blushed as Harry drew it out of his pocket. "Yeah. It's amazing. You've got some real talent."

The silence was back. Ginny felt scared that Harry would leave. Why had she chosen to make this room so dark and hopeless?

"I need to tell you how I feel," Harry said, groping around in the darkness until he found her hand.

"No kidding," Ginny said sarcastically.

"Well, um, when I first heard about the Halloween Ball, I immediately thought of Luna." He paused, looking for a reaction. When there was none, he continued. "I had liked her ever since the end of last year. I don't know why, I just did."

"Harry, I know this already," Ginny interrupted.

"Right," Harry cleared his throat. "OK, after the ball, and I found out it was you, I felt really awkward around you. You know, because you had feelings for me where I didn't have feelings for you. It was weird to know how you felt while I was with someone else, and then find out that that someone else was moving.

"Then I realized something, after that Quidditch match. I may have liked Luna, but I had always had feelings for you, from the moment I met you on Platform 9 ¾. I loved your whole family, and you all are the closest thing I've ever had to brothers, a sister, a mother, and a father. I love all your brothers so much, that I feel I would die if anything ever happened to them. And your mother and father, well, they are my parents, generally speaking."

"And me?" Ginny said quietly.

"You. There's always been a cloud of doubt where you've been concerned, Ginny. One moment you're my friend, then you're just Ron's little sister, then you're my sister, there's just so many parts you play in my life. I loved you just like I love all your brothers."

"What do you mean, 'loved?'"

"Well, like I said before, after that Quidditch match, I've realized that you play a bigger part in my life than just all those different roles. I used to love you like the rest of your family."

"And now?"

"Now, I love you more than I did then. Before, I felt that as long as I have that love for your family, and that they are always safe and whole, everything will be all right, too. Now I feel that as long as I have you with me, and have that love for you, my world is perfect."

Harry pulled Ginny into a hug. She laid her head on his shoulder, and Ginny heard Harry's heart ramming against his chest. His arms felt so good around her, and it felt so good to lay her head on his shoulder. The whole moment felt right. It just fit.

Harry pulled her closer, one arm still gripping her back, the other snaking under her knees. He stood up with Ginny in his arms, and started to twirl around.

"Harry, stop it before we fall over!" Ginny said breathlessly.

"Fine," Harry said in the tone of a three year old being denied the pleasure of playing in the mud. Ginny giggled as he set her down on her feet gently.

"So, what is with the darkness?" Harry asked.

"No idea," Ginny said. She smiled, and the room was suddenly brightly lit, the afternoon sun shining through huge glass windows. Candles lined the now red and gold walls, and there was a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"Better?"

"You have no idea," Harry said, as he removed his hand from his squinted eyes. As his eyes became accustomed to the light, he put his arm around Ginny. "I believe this is where we left off on Halloween."

"Indeed it is," Ginny said.

As music began to play, she spun around, looking for the source of the beautiful sound. Harry stopped her spinning by grabbing her hand, and she noticed that the music seemed to be coming from the room. Harry smiled cockily at her, and bowed.

"Ginny Weasley, will you honor me with a dance?"

"Well, I would be delighted, sir," Ginny said as she curtsied. The two of them began to dance, and as they did, the Room of Requirement changed.

The outside view through the windows changed, so that moonlight shined on their faces and the stars twinkled at them. The walls seemed to melt into individual columns, which turned into trees. The floor changed to grass, and the ceiling disappeared, so that the moon was directly above their heads.

"Ginny, look," Harry nodded toward one side of what was previously the Room of Requirement. Ginny followed his gaze and saw a unicorn galloping just behind the trees nearest them. Tiny, colorful moths fluttered low in the clearing.

"It's beautiful," Ginny whispered, still dancing with her head on Harry's shoulder.

"I know," Harry said quietly, not looking at the trees, but at her. "I love you, Ginny."

"I love you too, Harry."

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_Dear Diary,_

_Wow. America is so wonderful! Even though I've only been here a few days, I love it just as much as England. The muggles here are fascinating to watch. Sometimes Daddy and I just sit at our apartment window for hours, watching them and laughing._

_As fascinating as muggles are, I can't help but think of how much more interesting the romance at Hogwarts must be. I think I left a match made in heaven back there. As much as I hate to admit it, Ginny and Harry are perfect for one another._

_Harry. Where do I start? Well, he is one in a million. Not only did he thwart You-Know-Who five times, but he was the only boy who was actually polite to me. He was the only boy friend I ever had._

_I am in love with Harry._

_No! Stop that, Luna! It's was. Was. Was, was, was. I WAS in love with Harry Potter._

_A bigger lie has never been written. Who am I trying to fool? I love him._

_I can still remember that blessed moment when he showed me how he felt about me. He asked me to the Costume Party. The party was only a rumor at the time, but the offer was enough._

_I felt awful turning him down, but, quite frankly, I don't go to dances. I don't know the first thing about dancing, I don't like crowds, and I find costumes embarrassing._

_He looked so awful when I said no. It felt so bad to say no, but I had to look for the crumple-horned snorkack. That's why we came to the United States to begin with: Someone found a crumple-horned snorkack. _

_Anyway, the day after I said no, Harry asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him. I said yes, and had the most wonderful time of my life with him. I found out that I could really talk to Harry, and he showed genuine interest in what I had to say. He was so nice, and he stood up for me when Malfoy criticized my dad. He must've sprained -maybe even broken – Malfoy's wrist. That crack was most satisfactory._

_Then there was that fateful day- October 31st, 1997. The day of the Halloween Masked Ball. I went to look for a snorkack, and after only a half hour, I found one! I took a picture and headed back up to the castle. I couldn't believe that I had the entire day to do whatever I wanted. I have a passion for reading muggle novels, and I was looking forward to plowing through The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn._

_Instead, I met Harry. He and Ginny were walking down to the Great Hall together, wearing matching costumes. Harry was about to put his arm around Ginny, and about a thousand thoughts were running through my head at once. For example:_

_"What are they doing together?"_

_"They look so cute together!"_

_"Get away from him!"_

_"Harry's mine! He asked me!"_

_Subconsciously, I called out Harry's name. As his arm withdrew back to the side of his body, and he uttered my name in surprise, I saw Ginny's face. Her face was a mixture of disappointment, sadness, but above all those feelings, I could see pure loathing. I thought I would never be able to erase that look she gave me from my mind._

_Two seconds later I had forgotten it._

_Harry asked me to go to the dance with him again. I thought, '_Well, what's the harm? I've got a picture, and it might be fun._'_

_So I went to the dance with Harry. I had an adequately good time. We didn't really dance too much; we sat and talked for most of the dance. He did persuade me to dance to one song, but I was so horrendous that I was soon begging to sit down again._

_The next day I found out that I was moving. I told Harry this that morning, and then went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. The Quidditch match that followed helped take my mind off things. It was a pretty good match. Ravenclaw won because Harry decided to save Ginny's life. Ginny had been hit by Jack Sloper. What an idiot._

_I visited Ginny in the Hospital Wing while she was recovering, to offer her help and support. After dinner that same day, I realized that I had forgotten to tell Hermione, who wanted to know what Ginny's homework was, about one of our assignments. I figured that Hermione was giving Ginny her books when I remembered this, so I just checked out a copy of the book Ginny would need from the library and walked to the Hospital Wing to give it to her._

_What I saw in the Hospital Wing was something I will never forget. Harry kissing Ginny. Ginny kissing Harry. I didn't know what was going on, and didn't really want to either._

_The book almost slipped from my hands, but I caught it just in time. I didn't want either of them to know I had seen them. It would have been such an awkward situation._

_That night, as I sat on my bed in my dormitory, I realized that I had to make a heart-wrenching decision. I could forget everything I had seen in the Hospital Wing, act like nothing had happened, and keep going out with Harry, or I could find a way to break it off with him so he could be with the girl he really liked, Ginny._

_I was weak. I couldn't do it. The next day, when Harry sat down next to me at the Ravenclaw table for breakfast, I couldn't break it off with him. He didn't either. After Ginny came back, (and hit Harry with a Bat-Bogey Hex) Harry seemed to feel very awkward around me. _

_I staged a conversation with Ginny where I 'confessed' that I didn't like Harry as much as I used to. I knew Ginny would tell Harry, and he would break it off with me. I knew I had to do this; I would be leaving in less than a month, and Harry and Ginny obviously had feelings for one another._

_Sure enough, that day at lunch, Harry had something to tell me. I gathered up all my courage and lied to him about how I felt, because I wanted to be the one to break it off. I have confidence that he went to Ginny later that very same day._

_After moving to America, the pain of losing Harry seemed to heal. I still miss him terribly, but knowing that he and Ginny are happy helps._

_I still wonder sometimes why I did it. Why I let go of the boy I loved so that someone else could have him. I always remind myself of the look Ginny gave me the night of the ball. I remember the jealously I could tell Ginny had toward me, although she tried to hide it. I also remind myself of the love in Harry's eyes when he looked at Ginny. He didn't know it was there, but I saw it. It was one of those things he did naturally._

_Then there is the fact that I am in America. How could I not break it off with Harry, move to another country, and then expect him to not get together with Ginny behind my back? Ginny is perfect for Harry, and Harry is perfect for Ginny. I don't fit in anywhere._

_Love,_

_Luna Lovegood_

Thank you so much for reading this story. It would make my year if you would leave a review. :) They make me happy. When I signed on today, I had like fifteen emails, all reviews:):):)


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